Senegal Internet Shutdown: 'Following the path of digital censorship is concerning'

Grandstand. Block internet access to curb popular mobilizations. The formula is proven and has inspired dozens of governments around the world for nearly two decades, including those who were not used to this practice.

Last week in Senegal, the government of President Macky Sall decided to cut off its citizens’ access to major social networks. The decision drew criticism from several governments and civil society organizations. This measure, detected by the non-governmental organization NetBlocks on June 1, 2023, was implemented in the context of demonstrations and clashes of the population with the police in the streets of Dakar and other cities.

Ousmane Sonko, Macky Sall’s main political opponent in the run-up to the next presidential election, was sentenced to two years in prison for “youth corruption”, angering part of the population.

The suspension of the mobile network and the blocking of social networks were assumed by the Minister of the Interior, Antoine Diome, during a press conference held on the night of June 1 to 2 (and which, ironically, was reposted on the Interior Ministry’s Twitter account). The decision was justified two days later in a laconic press release sent to the Senegalese media.

Prevent the Senegalese from communicating

According to the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy, this drastic measure is taken “due to the dissemination of hateful and subversive messages in a context of disturbance of public order in certain localities of the national territory”.

In reality, we understand that the objective of the measure is to weaken the challenge. Social networks and messaging applications such as WhatsApp are privileged means of communication and mobilization for Senegalese. Blocking access to these services amounts to preventing them from communicating, between themselves and with the outside world, including to share photos and videos of police slip-ups.

Amnesty International also denounced, in a press release, “restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and information [which] constitute arbitrary measures contrary to international law”. Many Senegalese have been forced to resort to VPNs and alternative messaging services like Signal.

This is not the first time that such an event has occurred in Senegal, the government having already restricted access to social networks in similar circumstances. Following the arrest of Ousmane Sonko on March 4, 2021, the country was shaken by major demonstrations. In response, the government at the time restricted Senegalese access to Facebook, YouTube, Telegram or WhatsApp.

Two internet blockages in three years

However, Senegal is not among the States most affected by blockages of this nature. Only two Internet blockages are listed there by the NGO Access Now in the last three years. By comparison, Iran restricted internet access 18 times in 2022 alone. The Indian government restricted it no less than 84 times in the same period. This practice, common on the African continent but present in many other countries around the world, has harmful consequences both on the rights of individuals and on the rights and interests of economic operators.

The government’s decision to go the digital censorship route is concerning in more ways than one. It illustrates a trivialization, on an international scale, of blockages and shutdowns of the Internet for the purpose of controlling public debate. Moreover, it perpetuates an endemic phenomenon, considered by several UN bodies and international courts as a violation of international human rights law.

Indeed, blocking citizens’ access to social networks amounts to depriving them of a privileged communication channel, particularly in countries where mobile networks are the main means of accessing the Internet. Recall that Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights enshrines the right to freedom of expression as a right including “the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds”.

It goes without saying that telecommunications operators play a critical role in the implementation of such restrictions. The community manager of Orange Senegal’s Twitter account has also been challenged by many Internet users. He consistently attributed the measure to the state in each of his (many) responses. In this case, it is up to the State to ensure the protection of the rights of its citizens. Whether it is a question of muzzling the opposition or preventing the organization of demonstrations, the blocking of the Internet and social networks remains generally the prerogative of States with little respect for human rights and democratic standards.